Saddam Hussein appeared in court to hear a string of...

Saddam Hussein appeared in court to hear a string of charges for which he could face the death penalty, in a landmark moment for the new Iraq. A visibly tired Saddam defended his August 1990 invasion of Kuwait and refused to sign legal papers after seven charges were read against him. Insisting he was still president of Iraq during the 30-minute hearing, the ousted dictator in a grey suit, questioned the jurisdiction of the tribunal. "This is all a theatre. The real criminal is Bush," said Saddam, who was handcuffed and chained. Eleven senior members of his regime, including former deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz and Saddam's first cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali", also appeared before the tribunal.